opioids

A series of settlements reached with opioid manufactures could provide Missoula County and the Missoula metropolitan area with more than $1 million to address the crisis created by the addictive drug.

Purdue has sold a Narcan alternative since 2022 and Hikma has developed an opioid antagonist twice the dose of Narcan.

Gov. Greg Gianforte’s administration has proposed installing two dozen naloxone and fentanyl testing strip vending machines around the state.

With drug overdoses on the rise and fentanyl leading the way, the United Way of Missoula County has partnered with a number of providers to place four Naloxone vending machines around the city in hopes of stemming future deaths.

In each state, settlement funds are divided in varying percentages among state agencies, local governments, and, in some cases, councils that oversee opioid abatement trusts.